


Beware of the wolf

by Neila



Category: NCT (Band), NCT 127 - Fandom
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Explicit Sex, Red Riding Hood Elements, Red Riding Hood Jaehyun, wolf Johnny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 17:53:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20952467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neila/pseuds/Neila
Summary: When he was little it made no sense to him, why wasn’t he allowed to go into the woods when their house was barely meters away from them, but Jaehyun had always listened to his mother. That, though, didn’t stop him from staring. Jaehyun stared when he played outside, on the porch, and he heard branches break, he stared through his bedroom window when he heard howlings on full moon nights, and he definitely stared back when a pair of golden eyes appeared in the shadows.Or in which the son of little red riding hood meets with a man in the woods. He doesn’t know the man is a werewolf, more, he is the son of the wolf that almost killed his mother.Prompt number #S068.





	Beware of the wolf

**Author's Note:**

> Happy reading everyone! I hope the prompter is satisfied with the fic.

Jaehyun had always abided by his mother’s orders and requests, he had always listened well and had never broken a rule, though in between all the dos and don'ts, there was one that was almost engraved inside his skull. 

Don’t enter the forest. 

When he was little it made no sense to him, why wasn’t he allowed to go into the woods when their house was barely meters away from them, but Jaehyun had always listened to his mother. That, though, didn’t stop him from staring. Jaehyun stared when he played outside, on the porch, and he heard branches break, he stared through his bedroom window when he heard howlings on full moon nights, and he definitely stared back when a pair of golden eyes appeared in the shadows. 

Those golden eyes seemed to watch over him restlessly, and that made his mother go crazy the first time he mentioned them. He even got slapped the day he told her about it, and he still remembers the sting on his cheek and how much madness his telling triggered in her. Screams filled the house, Jaehyun barely recognized his mother that day, and no matter how much he apologized, begged and promised, he still got punished. From that day on, Jaehyun got reminded not to go into the woods every time he went out, or else the big bad wolf would eat him up. 

Jaehyun soon learned that everyone in town knew about what was in the woods, and there was a rumor his own mother had once been prey to it. He hadn’t asked her personally, fearing another rampage, but something about all the warnings and the way she put a protective hand on his shoulder every time she caught him staring told him that it wasn’t just a simple rumor. He grew up watching the darkness that swelled between the trees, whether it was through the window or just a step away from them, he walked along the path that surrounded the forest countless of times on his way to the town, and he listened attentively to every sound that passed through the invisible wall his mother had built between him and the forest. 

Summer was blazing the year Jaehyun turned eighteen, and even outside he felt like there was no oxygen around him. The cicadas’ singing irritated him, and he didn’t like days being so long. Even if he was practically an adult already, he still complied with his mother’s requests, and one day he had to cancel his night plans with his friends because the next morning he needed to go pay a visit to his grandfather. He wasn’t too keen on the idea, the heatwave too strong for someone to spend the whole day outside, but he could never say no to his mother. Just as he was about to open his window to let some fresh nightly air in, she knocked on his bedroom door, though she opened before Jaehyun could even answer. “Dear, here’s the basket, remember you should get up early not to be late. Your grandfather hates tardiness.”

“Of course, mother,” Jaehyun answered. He watched as his mother placed the stuffed basket on his desk, and both exchanged a smile. His mother wasn’t that old, but she wasn’t in the bloom of her youth either and years were definitely starting to pay up on her. Permanent eyebags, wrinkled face, and hair crazily tangled from running her hands so much through it. She had always been known in the town as Little Red Riding Hood, with her red cape, always carrying a basket and adored by everyone, although Jaehyun had never understood where that liking came from. After Jaehyun was born, the family had settled in a house on the outskirts of the town and his mother stopped visiting the village as often, sending Jaehyun to do all the errands. He had always been told by every villager how much he resembled her, well-mannered and charming, and people in town always loved having him around. It was a weird contradiction, the chains his mother had on him would stretch long enough to let him go anywhere in the world, except for the forest.

When she closed the door behind her and left Jaehyun alone, he got up and approached the window again. It wasn’t completely dark yet, sky navy blue and stars just barely visible. He looked at the woods, but his eyes averted to the basket at his right. He knew there was a pie hiding under the red cloth, but what his grandfather awaited the most were two wine bottles accompanying it. Jaehyun scoffed, he had tasted wine once when he was a kid and almost threw up. When he looked back outside, not wanting to think about the journey awaiting him the next day, he met a pair of amber eyes. He froze in place, hands gripping the window frame and mouth drying. This time, the silhouette surrounding the two orbs was different. Taller, wider,  _ human  _ and Jaehyun would even have guessed he was half-hiding behind a tree. He leaned forward slightly and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He blinked, and then it wasn’t there anymore. 

That night, he turned and tossed around in his bed. He tried to convince himself that it had been a hunter, someone lost, playing a prank or just his pure imagination, but his dreams were telling him what he didn’t want to admit. The next morning, his mother entered the room again while he was getting dressed.

“Here, dear,” she said in a thick, sickeningly sweet voice. “Use this, I don’t want you to get a sunstroke.” Jaehyun nodded, too busy tugging his shirt inside his pants to actually pay attention to her, but later he noticed the red cape she had left on his bed. He looked at it questioningly, but after trying it on and covering his head with the hood, he just agreed that it would be better if he didn’t want to get burnt with the harsh summer sun. No one used the path to his grandfather’s home anyway, so it didn’t matter how ridiculous he looked. He quickly headed to the house entrance, where his mother tugged him down to place a kiss on his cheek and checked once again if everything was in the basket, even if she had probably done the same the night before. 

“Be careful, dear, and remember,” she started, but Jaehyun was already past the door when she exclaimed the last words, “don’t go into the forest!” 

He was already sweating buckets by the time he reached the path that would take him to his grandfather’s house. Even with the hood on, the sun burned his skin and his vision unfocused easily. The path was peaceful and, at least, beautiful. The forest was at his left, and fields of poppies spread out at his right. Usually, Jaehyun loved admiring them, even walking in between the flowers to pick up some and play around, but this time, sunlight bathing his every inch and sweat dripping down his face, already tired of walking and hand itching because of the wooden basket, he could only look left. There was no light, the treetops too thick to let much sunshine reach the ground, but now it was tempting, not scaring at all. A breath of fresh air seemed to whisper Jaehyun to walk into the trees, the shadows invitingly chilly. He would do anything to get rid of the heat, and crossing the forest seemed to be faster than following the twisting path.

Before he knew it, Jaehyun was surrounded by trees, bushes, and overgrown grass. Frowning, he made his way through the green until he found a small and narrow path that disappeared in the darkness. Since it was his only option, he started following it. It was as dark as it seemed from the outside, and he was calm as long as he heard birds chirping on top of the trees. He soon forgot about the heat and started humming a song he didn’t even remember listening to, all while swinging the basket back and forth. 

* * *

It must have been noon when Jaehyun decided to sit down against the trunk of a tree. He had been walking for hours, just following what he supposed was the way to the other side of the forest, and even if it wasn’t as hot as outside, it was still tiring. It was also difficult to walk with so many roots and bumps on the ground, and his red cape wouldn’t top getting tangled on every branch he passed by. It shouldn’t take too much for him to reach the destination now, so he allowed himself a little rest. He grabbed the slice of bread with cheese his mother had prepared for him and started eating absentmindedly until he heard something crush not far away. He snapped his head up alarmed, but relaxed as soon as he realized it was a person. A man was walking towards him, and as soon as their eyes met he smiled kindly. Jaehyun got up immediately, hiding the food he was holding behind his back. The man didn’t seem much older than him, but he was definitely taller and broader, and his bearing made Jaehyun feel like a little kid about to be scolded. He seemed friendly nonetheless, looking at Jaehyun with an affable gaze. By his clothes and way of walking through the trees, Jaehyun guessed he must have been a hunter or a lumberjack, though he wasn’t carrying any tool with him.

“What’s a boy like you doing here?” The guy asked as soon as he was in front of Jaehyun. Jaehyun felt his cheeks heat up, the other’s piercing gaze not averting from him.

“I’m… going to my grandfather’s house,” he explained, but immediately added more, an excuse he would have told his mother if she had caught him. “It was hot outside, there’s shadow here and it’s chilly.” 

“Oh, the old man’s house?” The guy seemed slightly surprised and Jaehyun nodded.

“Yes, I’m his grandson, Jaehyun,” he extended the hand he wasn’t using to hold the bread and waited for the other to shake it. His grasp was firm, and his palm felt warm against Jaehyun’s. 

“Johnny,” the guy said. “Hasn’t anyone told you it’s dangerous?” Jaehyun couldn’t tell if he was really worried or was just messing with him, because of course everyone around there knew it was.

“There are wolves,” he said carefully, and a soft laugh made Johnny’s whole body quiver, their hands still clasped together. 

“For what I know, I think it’s just one now,” Johnny’s answer made Jaehyun’s heart skip a beat. Everyone always talked so carefully about the wolf, it was unsettling meeting someone so unworried about it. “I’m afraid, though, the wolf isn’t the danger here.” 

“It isn’t?” That surprised Jaehyun. He looked up to Johnny in bemusement, eager to learn something new about what plagued his dreams, and this time Johnny’s grin softened. 

“You should be more careful of hunters, Jaehyun, what if you get caught in the middle of a shooting?” Jaehyun looked down pensively. He felt like he was in school, and Johnny was reminding him of a lesson he should know already. 

“My father was one,” he mumbled, finally moving his hand away. It was hardly an argument against what the other had said. He had barely met his father, and all he remembered about him were the gunshots echoing in the air, startling him when he least expected it, and how much his mother adored the man. He died when Jaehyun was six, and it was one of the reasons his mother despised the forest so much. He had never returned from one of his hunts, everyone in town said, though he had proudly been the only person there to be able to go into the forest whenever he pleased. But Jaehyun hadn’t been there when that happened anyways, he wouldn’t have known if what his mother had told him was true or just one of her deliriums. “He saved my mum, I think, when the wolf tried to eat her.”

“Well, if she looks anything like you no wonder the wolf wanted to.” It took a few seconds for Jaehyun to register the words, and his ears started to burn in embarrassment. Johnny’s laugh echoed through the forest, and while Jaehyun stuttered in an attempt to find the right words, Johnny apologized. “I’m joking, I’m joking. You should be careful, then. Get to your grandfather's before it gets dark, I heard there’s full moon today.” Jaehyun’s eyes widened, but before he could say anything the man was already walking away from him. “See you, Jaehyun!”

Jaehyun’s mouth hung open in a silent plea, but the man had already disappeared behind the trees. He gulped hard and looked around nervously. It was just him, the birds didn’t chirp any more, but the sensation of being stared crept down his back. He pressed his eyes shut to try to get rid of the sensation, but all he saw was amber staring at him. He breathed out sharply, he had to get out of there but when he turned around his basket wasn’t there. 

“What?” He wasn’t able to hold his voice. It had disappeared, it wasn’t behind the tree, it wasn’t a few meters away, the basket had completely vanished. He had left it on the ground while he was eating and now the only thing left of it was the slice of bread in his left hand. He paced around for a few minutes, wondering what to do. He threw the bread on the floor, not hungry anymore, and a bird landed on it and started pecking it, though the animal flew away as soon as Jaehyun groaned again. He couldn’t go anywhere without the basket, his mother would scold him, ground him for life, and his grandfather would also get angry. With a sigh, he started walking. 

He had enough time while venturing deeper into the forest to make up at least ten theories of what happened to his basket, the most prominent ones being first, he had dropped it while swinging it before stopping to rest, and the one he had next to him had been a result of his imagination, second, a squirrel had stolen it, though he had not heard or seen anything on the trees, or third, the stranger had stolen it. But that couldn’t be, because he had clearly seen how he walked away empty-handed, right? Though he didn’t actually see it clearly, and maybe Johnny had also been a mirage caused by the heatstroke affecting his head.

Jaehyun was going crazy, and the more time passed the more anxious he became. It was completely dark at that point, the sun long hidden behind the mountains, and he had lost track of the direction he should head to. He could either hide or keep walking, but neither choice made him feel safe. He was on the verge of tears, walking with a hand glued to the tree trunks not to trip when he heard something that didn’t quite sound like a squirrel or a bird. Pressing his lips together, he walked cautiously to the source, and he noticed a clearing behind some trees. There was light, a silver gleam coming from the sky, and he should have run away as soon as he realized it was the moonlight. But it was hypnotizing. Slowly, he made his way until the closest tree, wide enough to hide his body. He peeked, body shaking and a lump in his throat, and he saw it. With thick black fur and paws with claws sharper than knives, the wolf was bigger than him, its head was hung, and by the damp and chewing noises, Jaehyun realized it was eating. He allowed himself to stare more since the animal was turned away from him, and all the hairs of his body stood on end when the wolf lifted its head and howled to the moon. Just then realized where the wolf had had his snout. The basket. 

He brought a hand to his mouth to prevent himself from gasping, but the motion itself was enough to grab the wolf’s attention. Jaehyun’s blood froze when he met the pair of golden eyes, and he tripped when rushing to get up. His knee was bloody, but it didn’t stop him. He got up again and started to run. He fled for his life, heart beating in his ears and tears running down his cheeks. He didn’t care about the branches tugging at his red hood or scratching his face, he had to get away as soon as possible or he was going to die. He gasped in joy when he finally saw the end of the forest, his grandfather’s cabin in sight, and just when he passed the last tree he fell on his knees, breathing in for air desperately and turning around. There was just a dark, black void in front of him, a chilly breeze coming from inside the forest and complete silence. Maybe he had really outrun the wolf, but the small voice in the back of his head told him the animal was awaiting, hiding and preparing to jump at him at any moment. 

He got up with wobbly legs and limped till he reached the cabin’s door. There was still light inside, and he didn’t need to knock twice for his grandfather to open. Jaehyun almost threw himself into his arms, sobbing and gasping in frenzy. He let the older walk him into the house and they sat on the couch. Jaehyun could barely explain to him what had happened.

“You’re making no sense, kid, there isn’t any dangerous wolf in the forest, your father killed it.” His grandfather complained. Jaehyun wanted to protest, but he couldn’t find the energy to do so. His grandfather pushed him down and he laid on the couch, tears piling up at the corner of his eyes. Jaehyun listened to him roaming around the kitchen for a while, and the last thing he heard the old man mumble to himself was something about his mother really seeping through him with those dumb wolf stories. That night his dreams were black, but he kept hearing his mother’s shouts. Don’t go into the forest, Jaehyun, it’s dangerous. You can’t go, Jaehyun, the wolf will eat you, Jaehyun, what will your mother do without you, dear?

* * *

Jaehyun woke up soaked in sweat the next morning, so he immediately went to take a shower. His legs were still sore from last night, and the scratches stung when he rubbed soap on them. When he went to dress up again, he noticed how torn his mother’s red cape was. It was still usable, but it would be enough reason to add more days to his punishment. He got out of the bathroom with the hood hurled around his hand, ready to throw it to the trash, when he heard his grandfather talk with someone. 

“Oh, good morning,” he said immediately when he reached the living room, not realizing who it was until the guest turned around. “Johnny?” 

“Hello Jaehyun,” Johnny got up and approached him, giving him a friendly squeeze on the shoulder. “I was worried you didn’t make it home yesterday, so I’ve decided to stop by.” 

“I.. I’m okay,” Jaehyun smiled reassuringly, although he could feel Johnny inspecting the marks on his face. They would fade sooner or later, but right now they had barely cicatrized. “I should go soon, I’m sure my mother is worried.”

His grandfather visibly rolled his eyes at the mention of the woman, but agreed that Jaehyun should rush. “I’ll walk you there, I know my way through the forest,” Johnny said, and in no time they were both heading into the woods. Even if it did feel safer in broad daylight, Jaehyun looked around warily and jumped at any sound or movement, which seemed to entertain Johnny quite a bit. 

“You didn’t seem so scared yesterday, did anything happen?” he asked. Jaehyun took his time to answer, wondering if he should really tell Johnny. He didn’t want to scare him either, or maybe he would just get fed up like his grandfather. In the end, he just laughed dismissively and decided to change the topic.

“No, not really, it just was a bit difficult to find the way out.” He gave a big step not to trip over a root and caught up to Johnny, whose long legs gave him too much advantage over Jaehyun’s pace. “How do you know my grandfather, by the way?”

“Oh, Doyoung? He’s helped me with some things in the past, he’s a good man,” Johnny explained, and shared a knowing smile with Jaehyun. His grandfather was indeed a great man, though he had the fame of being ill-tempered and hating any social interaction. That’s why he moved into a cabin in the middle of nowhere.

“And what do you do? Are you a hunter?” Maybe he sounded overly excited for a simple question like that, but Jaehyun wanted to know more about the man. Not only was he incredibly handsome and kind, he was surrounded by such a mysterious aura that Jaehyun couldn’t help but feel attracted.

Johnny snorted, and although Jaehyun couldn’t understand what he found so funny, he was satisfied with the other’s answer. “Yeah, something like that.” 

He wanted to keep, he wanted to know everything and put together the pieces of the puzzle life had put in front of him. There was the voice of his mother in the back of his mind, it was telling him to run for his life, away from the forest, and that this wasn’t right and he shouldn’t be trusting this stranger, but the hand holding his arm to help him not trip and the trees to his sides made him feel more protected than the wooden cabin and her empty warnings had ever. He looked up at Johnny once again, and when the other looked back and smiled, all of Jaehyun’s thoughts vanished. Instead, he started asking what was every sound he heard, completely new for him, and why his legs itched so much after grazing some bushes. 

They reached the other side of the forest at noon, exactly at the spot Jaehyun had walked in, and when he turned around he found Johnny already staring at him. Totally at loss of words, Jaehyun just stared back.

“You should go now,” Johnny chuckled. “Will I see you again soon?” 

“I don’t know,” Jaehyun looked down, shoulders dropping in defeat. He knew what awaited him at home, and if he had a choice he wouldn’t think twice about tagging alone with Johnny at whatever he would do during the day. It was nice being with him, so nice at some point he had almost forgotten about the wolf that could have been preying them. “I hope so.” 

“Me too,” Johnny brought a hand up to Jaehyun’s face and grazed his fingers over the wounds. “Take care of that when you get home, alright?” 

Jaehyun nodded, lowering his face in shame, and mumbled a goodbye before turning on his feet at starting to make his way to his house.

* * *

The slap stung like the first time, but by now he was more than used to his mother’s tears and screams. Jaehyun could have shouted back, defend himself with any excuse or try to stop her nonsense at once, but he didn’t. Instead, he just followed his mother’s orders once again. “Don’t you dare go out of your room, Jaehyun. And we’ll see if you get to have dinner tonight,” and even after closing the door, Jaehyun could hear her talking to herself, dumbfounded that her son had disobeyed her like that, wondering what would have she done if the wolf had eaten him. Before any curses could reach his ears, Jaehyun dropped his body on the bed and curled against a pillow. Fat tears running down his cheeks, he muffled his sobs and curled his fists in the sheets until his knuckles turned white. He fell asleep soon, the sorrow following him into the dream. There, he was seven, outside his house, hugging himself under a tree and crying so hard it were just sobs, shaking and no tears. A beast approached him and curled up to his side, and just then Jaehyun stopped crying, though he kept on mumbling unintelligible things. His mother came out and he watched in panic as her mouth widened in a scream, but instead, a loud bang came out. It woke him up, and he did not go to sleep again.

The next day, he stayed in his room. He didn’t even try to move from the bed, not changing his clothes and just getting up when he needed to go to the bathroom. It was like his room was specially prepared for when he was grounded, with a private restroom, and he had regularly been hiding some snacks on his bedside table since he was a kid. Not that a couple of rockhard cookies would calm his growling stomach, but it was better than nothing. He spent the day looking at the ceiling and drifting in and out of sleep, none of the books on his shelf distracting enough. It worked when he was a kid, but at that moment his mind was filled with the tickling of the clock and the position of the sun. He fell asleep out of boredom one last time during the afternoon, dreams dark and empty. 

When he woke up it was already dark outside. If he listened closely he could hear his mother roaming around the kitchen and his stomach growled, but judging by the time his wall clock marked, dinner time was already over. Still, he got up and walked up to the door, but cursed to himself when the knob wouldn’t turn around. Of course, his mother always locked him from outside, it wouldn’t be any different now. He pressed his forehead against the wood, just reacting when he tasted the blood from biting his lips too hard. He stayed still when he heard footsteps climbing the stairs, and Jaehyun only moved when he was sure his mother was already in her room about to go to sleep. He approached the window, and he stood there mortified when he met the same silhouette again. His eyes shoot up to the sky, to the moon not really a perfect circle, and when he looked back down, there was someone else there. 

Johnny was looking up to him, his usual smile plastered on his face and hand raised in a greeting. Jaehyun stared at him dumbfounded, and hesitated a few seconds before opening the window. The door might have been shut, but the window had no lock. It wasn’t difficult to climb it down, the wooden wall making it easy for him to claw his nails on something. It wasn’t the first time he had done it either, so he was already used to the height. The moment his feet landed on the ground, he ran up to Johnny. “What are you doing here?” He asked out of breath. Johnny’s face looked good soaked in moonlight, and Jaehyun found himself staring wordlessly even when the other talked.

“I was worried,” was his simple answer, “Wanna go have a walk? It must suck being trapped inside your room for two whole days,” Johnny signaled the forest with his chin and Jaehyun looked back at the house, unsure of what he should do. There were no lights on, his mother was surely asleep by now, and Johnny’s hand sliding into his made his heartbeat speed up. “There’s no full moon tonight, don’t worry,” the whisper in Johnny’s voice made Jaehyun doubt of what he had heard, but he tightened his grip on the other’s hand and nodded.

“Let’s go,” he had already walked into the darkness once, and now he wasn’t alone. Johnny knew his way through the forest, he was a hunter and he wouldn’t let anything happen to them.

“Where are we going?” Jaehyun asked after a while. He was letting himself be guided by Johnny, dodging branches and trying to keep up with his pace. He wasn’t even paying attention to his surroundings, their footsteps so noisy they were probably scaring away all the animals and Johnny’s back in front of him too distracting. Johnny glanced at him over his shoulder and flashed a smile Jaehyun could barely see.

“Somewhere nicer,” was Johnny’s only response, and enough for Jaehyun to keep focusing on his back. They walked farther into the forest until they reached a clearing bathed in moonlight. The fresh air felt nice against Jaehyun’s skin, and the moment he saw the opening in front of him, he walked past Johnny and let himself fall on the ground, lying on his back and spreading out his arms. It felt so soft under him, Jaehyun doubted anyone had walked around there in years. Johnny sat next to him, amused at Jaehyun’s excitement, and also looked up to the starry sky. Jaehyun would spend his life counting the stars if that meant he could stay in that place, though his attention ended up wandering down, to the person next to him. Johnny was mesmerizing, his side profile looked manly, though the smile on his face was so youthful and carefree, unlike the huntsmen of the town. Jaehyun would lie if he said he had never been attracted to one of them, strong, brutish, almost like bears, but Johnny, even with the same physique, had a totally different charm. Jaehyun’s eyes traveled down his chest, visibly toned even with a shirt on, and kept going down until they landed on the mark on his arm. Maybe it was one of the many he had all over his body, a scar of his job. Perhaps he had been caught in the middle of a shotgun fire, like he had warned Jaehyun, or it could have also been an accident while hunting by himself. He opened his mouth to ask, but Johnny let his body fell back and lied next to him, turning his face so their noses were barely millimeters apart. 

“Bored of the stars?” He asked teasingly, and Jaehyun for once was glad it was dark so the other couldn’t see him blushing. Johnny had clearly caught him staring, and so he looked front again, fixing his eyes on the mess of lights above him. 

“No, I like them,” he mumbled. He started playing with a handful of grass, trying to erase any embarrassing thoughts from his mind, but he could feel Johnny’s eyes fixed on him.

“To be honest, I was,” Johnny sighed. “After seeing them every night of my life, I couldn’t help but find the sky quite boring. I looked for a long time for something different to stare at, though not many things in this world can match up to the beauty of the constellations.” 

“And did you find it?” Jaehyun finally turned to his side, meeting Johnny’s eyes. They were dipped in honey, though they gleamed like the starlight and the wrinkles that formed on their sides when he smiled softened Johnny’s usual solemn expression. 

“Yeah, I did,” Johnny gazed over Jaehyun’s features, and Jaehyun immediately grew shy. He looked away out of shame, not used to having someone admiring him from up close. 

“Do you know any constellation names?” He asked in an attempt to save himself, and his excitement grew again when Johnny started pointing out shapes in the sky. Jaehyun would barely remember them the day after, but he could always ask again. They kept talking until the sky started to lighten, marking the beginning of a new day. They rushed home between laughs, chasing each other between the trees and promising to meet one more time when the moon came out again. 

They repeated the promise every sunrise for a month, during which Jaehyun was forbidden to spend the day anywhere that wasn't his room. His mother sometimes let him go down to the kitchen and have dinner, and she barely addressed a word to him, still angry that he disobeyed the golden rule, but for the first time in his life Jaehyun didn’t care about the punishment. He sneaked outside every night when the lights went off, he ate what Johnny brought him, usually some leftover dinner after he had spent the afternoon at his grandfather’s, and he was happy. The forest was like an alternate dimension for him, a world where he could laugh and play with Johnny as he had never been able to as a child. There were no rules, no one to reprimand him, and with Johnny he was safe. No beast ruined the nights with him, it left his nightmares, and Jaehyun even questioned if the wolf he had seen that night had been but another bad dream. 

* * *

Even when his mother slowly started going back to her own self, pampering Jaehyun with overly sweet praises and sickening affection, the meetings with Johnny didn’t stop. There was always a wary feeling in the back of his head, because he knew if he got caught it would be the end. Not only would he suffer the consequences, but Johnny, who had been nothing but kind and gentle with him, would have to suffer from his mother’s rage. He had already lost many friends because of that, he didn’t want to lose Johnny too. 

One day he walked into the kitchen following the smell of a freshly baked apple pie. “Is that for grandpa?” He asked, sitting on a stool in a corner not to bother his mother while she roamed around. 

“Yes, it is, dear, why?” She was accommodating the pie inside the basket, shooting Jaehyun a sweet smile when he turned around to grab the wine bottles. 

“Should I… take it to him?” He was already expecting the answer, he had been practicing that question over and over for the past few weeks. It would be a perfect excuse to be able to spend the night out with Johnny, if only his mother believed him. “He said he felt quite lonely and enjoyed having some company, maybe I could spend the night with him.” 

His mother’s eyes narrowed, and Jaehyun swallowed hard. The defeat was bitter, but he was used to it. It made no sense fighting against his mother, that she had taken it after her father. “That old man…” she voiced like she was talking to herself, “I bet he has completely lost his mind at this point.” Jaehyun stayed quiet, looking down until he noticed her getting closer. He straightened his back and eyed her confused. “You should go make sure he’s okay, dear, you know he gets insufferable when I’m near him. You must promise me you’ll be good and follow the path outside the forest, yes? We don’t want another incident happening, right?” 

Jaehyun nodded eagerly, shooting up from the seat. “Yes, mother, of course I will.”

“Good boy,” his mother beamed, pinching his cheek and turning around to get back to work. “I will start making dinner now, why don’t you set the table?” 

“Yes, yes mother,” Jaehyun said absentmindedly, thoughts already lost in a mush of trees and bushes, and a smile soaked with the moonlight. 

He got as far away from his house as he possibly could, to make sure his mother wouldn’t see him. He turned around nervous, she was totally capable of following him to make sure he followed the path, and he entered the forest like he was about to commit a crime. He started walking forward without an actual direction, just wanting to get as far as possible from the outside world.

“Johnny, are you here?” he asked in a whisper. He was already deep inside the forest, hearing nothing but some birds he couldn’t recognize and crickets chirping. He felt completely lost. Looking back, he could no longer see the opening of trees he had entered from, and ahead of him there was only a void of shadow and vegetation. “Johnny?” He said again, this time more desperately. He had no exit, trapped between all those trees, and after walking a bit more he stopped hearing any sound. “Joh—”

“I’m here,” something grabbed his forearm, and Jaehyun gasped in fright. Johnny chuckled at him, “What are you doing here so early, did you run away?” 

“No, I’m… I’m,” he couldn’t find the right words, so he just lifted the basket for Johnny to see. Johnny made an understanding sound and grabbing Jaehyun’s free hand.

“Should I show you the way, then?” 

“There’s no rush,” Jaehyun laughed airly when Johnny tugged at him, but followed nonetheless. “I will spend the night at my grandfather’s, we can be out all night.”

Johnny stopped walking abruptly. “Oh, Jaehyun…” He turned around and smiled a bit, though it wasn’t his usual kind smile. It made him worry, a lump forming in his throat. It was not an obligation for Johnny to meet him every day, but the sole thought of being replaced made Jaehyun panic. “There’s full moon tonight, I don’t think you should go out.” 

“Then why don’t you stay with us? I’m sure my grandfather would love to have you over for dinner,” Jaehyun said hopefully, clasping his hand around Johnny’s tighter. The other squeezed it, but his gloomy smile didn’t falter. 

“I’m sorry Jaehyun, I can’t,” Jaehyun pouted, but seeing Johnny sad too made him think that perhaps he shouldn’t be making such a big deal out of this. It was just a night, after all, and it was for their safety. They could spend the day together now, see each other tomorrow and meet again the night after. 

“It’s okay,” Jaehyun reassured him, trying to smile and sound cheerful. Now it was him leading the way, even though didn’t know where he was actually going. “Come on! Let’s find somewhere to sit, I’m hungry.”

Jaehyun had no actual idea of how big the forest was, and even if at first all the clearings had looked the same, now he was finding different details in them. They ended up walking more than intended, and it was already afternoon when they sat to eat. Jaehyun’s mother had just prepared him the usual, a piece of bread with cheese, and they had to split it. Jaehyun had no problem sharing with Johnny, and they both ate pretty quickly. Johnny saved some bread crumbs, and spread them on the ground for birds to come and peck. Jaehyun watched enamored, leaning in as the chubby birds ate from the floor, and when he turned around again he found Johnny staring at him. Cheeks heating up, he sat straight again and tried to maintain his composure. He had discovered Johnny was barely a couple of years older than him, but whenever they were together it almost felt like he was a little kid and Johnny an adult taking care of him. 

Johnny laughed softly, and Jaehyun felt a hand on his back. He tensed up, and when he turned around he noticed Johnny picking a leaf hanging on his red cape. His mother had patched it up so he could keep wearing it, though it was a hassle to walk with it in the forest, always getting hooked on branches and getting any kind of vegetation stuck to it. Jaehyun rolled his eyes, there were probably more leaves on the hood too, so he started to take it off. “Let me help you,” Johnny said, moving his hands to the knot Jaehyun was trying to undo. Jaehyun stayed still, just moving his hands away and letting him untie it. He looked up to Johnny when he moved the hood away, hand brushing through Jaehyun’s hair. They were close now, almost as close as the first time they had laid together under the stars, except this time neither of them looked away. Jaehyun was hypnotized by Johnny’s eyes, and he licked his lips when he saw the older staring at them. It felt like time had stopped, but they were getting closer, mouths almost touching until an owl’s hoot echoed through the forest. Johnny moved away quickly, Jaehyun could still feel his breath against his skin, but when Johnny got up a blow of fresh air took him back to his senses.

“You should probably go now, Jaehyun, it’ll be dark when you reach your grandfather’s house,” Johnny said, back turned at him. Jaehyun got up too, taking his basket and his cape.

“Where will you go?” He finally dared to ask. He had never inquired much into Johnny’s life and whereabouts, afraid to be annoying, but now the worry was bigger than his caution. 

“Somewhere safe, don’t worry,” even if Johnny’s smile was an attempt to calm him down, Jaehyun couldn’t shake the sinking feeling off his chest. “If you follow that path you’ll be there in no time,” Johnny pointed at a trail that twisted behind the trees. “I’ll go now, see you soon.” 

Jaehyun had barely any time to say his farewell, Johnny squeezed his shoulder and walked towards the way they had come from. He disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Jaehyun snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the owl hoot again. 

He didn’t remember having had dinner at his grandfather’s home before, and he couldn’t understand why his mother hated visiting him so much. Well, he could, but he didn’t share the feeling. The old man’s cooking was amazing, but the best part was all the stories he had to tell. Jaehyun was sure he was making some of them up, because there was no way he could have fought a bear with his bare hands at sixteen, but he enjoyed them anyway. It even made him forget for a bit about Johnny, who he hoped was now at his home eating a delicious dinner like him. The room they had prepared together under ten minutes for Jaehyun to stay was cozier than his own room at home had ever been, and for the first time in weeks, lying in bed, he could fall in comfortable sleep. 

He was woken up hours later by a howl. His blood ran cold, and for a moment he thought it had just been a part of his dream, but then he heard another one. After seconds of contemplation, he got out of bed and approached the window. He could clearly see the forest from there, though the cabin wasn’t as close to the trees as his home, and so he had a more panoramic view. Everything was quiet, the full moon ruling the sky and just the wind slightly moving the treetops. Jaehyun’s eyes scanned the darkness, until he noticed something. A shadow came out from the trees, and howled to the moon. It was only when it lowered its head again that Jaehyun could see the gleaming eyes. He was safe inside the house, so he allowed himself to be glued to the window, forehead pressing against the glass to see what the wolf was doing. Jaehyun noticed it was limping, one of its legs barely touching the ground, and it did not get too close to the house. Instead, the wolf just walked around, almost in circles, and ended dropping his body to the ground like a dead weight. Jaehyun feared it had collapsed, its humongous shape barely moving, but its tail kept wiggling. From afar, and when its ivory fangs weren’t at full display, it looked just like a big dog.

Jaehyun wondered if his grandfather had been awakened by the howling. If he did, Jaehyun had not noticed. When he got out of his room, all the doors of the house were closed and the lights turned off. He moved around the kitchen in almost complete darkness until he found what he wanted. The apple pie was still complete. His grandfather had never liked it much, and neither did he. It was a secret his mother was never supposed to know. He recalled the wolf eating it, though, and he guessed animals had just had a weird taste. If neither his grandfather nor he was going to eat it, it wouldn’t hurt throwing it to the wolf, right? 

He picked up the plate with care and headed to the door, opening slightly to peek at the wolf. It was still there, lying on the ground, but from that distance it looked even bigger. Jaehyun swallowed his fear and opened the door wide, placing just a foot out in case the wolf decided to leap towards him. One step after another, long seconds between each to make sure the wolf wasn’t moving an inch, Jaehyun ended up on the last stair of the cabin’s porch. The wolf had its eyes closed, tail still swirling around, but this time Jaehyun wasn’t in a place to stare, he left the plate on the ground (ground?) and ran back inside, this time not caring about any brusque motions. He didn’t stay to spy on the wolf, not even daring to watch from his window, he threw himself to the bed and hid under the blanket, even if it was too hot to even use it. 

When he woke up the next morning, the first thing he did was check if the pie was still there. It wasn’t, but the plate had disappeared too. He panicked for a bit, until he realized it was near the sink, drying alongside the other dishes his grandfather had just finished washing. Neither of them asked anything about it, it just became a part of their shared secret.

“Will you head home now?” His grandfather asked, “Why don’t you stay over again?” 

Jaehyun sighed, putting on his red hood and grabbing the basket. “I can’t, I promised mother I’d be back before the afternoon.” 

“Alright son,” the man patted him on the back, “but you know you can come anytime, right? You don’t need to be doing an errand.” 

“Thanks, grandpa,” Jaehyun smiled, giving him a goodbye kiss on the cheek before heading out. This time Johnny wasn’t there, and after seeing the wolf last night, Jaehyun wasn’t sure he would be able to cross the forest by himself. He had to return home quickly anyway, so he couldn’t risk getting lost. He was determined to meet Johnny at night, and he did slightly miss the poppy fields, so he took the usual path back home. 

This time his mother welcomed him back happily, having prepared a full meal just for him, but Jaehyun locked himself up in his room voluntarily. The excuse of being tired always worked perfectly, his mother overly worried about him, and so he spent the afternoon lying in bed, mind going back and forth between the memories of the day before. Spacing out, he recalled Johnny’s breath mixing with his, instead this time, in his memory, they weren’t interrupted by an owl but by a howling, and every time he tried to lose himself back into the daze, the human eyes mixed with the beast’s, and he wasn’t trying to kiss him anymore, instead biting into his flesh, and no matter how much Jaehyun tried to run, he was always faster, smiling in front of him, kind, cloying and sickening. 

He woke up with a gasp, he had fallen asleep in the afternoon hours, and the sun was now completely down. He didn’t hear his mother anymore, and when he peeked outside his room, all the lights were off. It was now or never, he put the red cape back on and opened his window. Johnny wasn’t there like usual, but he climbed down nonetheless. 

The moon was almost perfectly round in the sky, imperious and silver plated, and he walked into the dull forest looking back, in fear of someone seeing him. He called for Johnny, wandering around with no response whatsoever. The deeper he got into the forest the louder his shouts got, and he was so occupied searching the man he hadn’t paid any attention to his steps. It wasn’t until he reached a clearing that he stopped in his tracks in astonishment. He had walked into the wolf den, and was now face to face with the beast. 

Johnny’s name got caught in his throat, a cry for help no one could hear. The wolf was a few meters in front of him, staring, unmoving, fur bristled and body flexed as if he was about to leap at Jaehyun. He gave a step back, gulping down hard and fisting his hands to prevent them from shaking, and then another, and another, unable to move his eyes away from the wolf. He was about to turn around and sprint as far as he could, but his heel got caught on a root and he fell on his back. That was it, the end. 

He heard the wolf’s low growl and he covered his face with his arms, heartbeat in his ears and ready for whatever pain he was about to feel, except he didn’t. He realized after a few seconds, the wolf hadn’t jumped to eat him. Still frightened, he peeked between his arms. The animal was indeed walking towards him, but it was hobbling, slowly approaching until its snout was nuzzling against Jaehyun’s knee. He closed his eyes, ready again for a bite, a swipe, blood, but the wolf just growled again. Jaehyun dared to open his eyes, and the first thing he caught was the wolf’s tail swirling around. Jaehyun breathed shakily, lowering his arms and using them to slightly sit up. From so close, he could see the golden gleam in the beast’s eyes better, and it did not seem as threatening as from far away. 

“You don’t want to… eat me?” He mumbled, his voice breaking with those last words. The wolf just kept staring at him, ears perked up in curiosity, and Jaehyun found a bit of courage in himself. He lifted a hand and extended it to the wolf. Jaehyun saw his life flash before his eyes when the beast opened up his mouth and leaned in, and he retracted his arm with a gasp, pressing it against his chest protectively. The wolf ears dropped immediately, and Jaehyun swore he saw its eyes saddening. Jaehyun attempted it again, this time placing the hand on top of the wolf’s head. It was soft, Jaehyun couldn’t hold back the urge to pet it, and the wolf seemed to enjoy it very much, tongue hanging from his mouth and eyes closing in bliss. A nervous laugh escaped Jaehyun’s lips and he ventured into sitting up closer to it. “You like it?” He said, scratching behind the wolf’s ears and smiling at how it leaned completely into his hands. 

As if the moon had cast a spell on him, it took Jaehyun less than a couple of minutes to become totally enamored with the beast. It was quite well behaved, he discovered, it sat in front of him like a dog waiting for orders, and when Jaehyun tackled its stomach to run his hands through it, the wolf rolled on his back and let him caress wherever he pleased. Jaehyun did had to dodge a couple of most likely accidental swipes, and he almost had a heart attack when the wolf jumped towards him to lick his face. The scream he let out quickly faded into a loud laugh, and he needed to put all his strength to make the wolf get off of him. 

“If I had known you weren’t that bad, I would have brought you more apple pie,” he joked. The wolf was lying down, Jaehyun sitting next to it cross-legged and caressing his stomach. It huffed, and Jaehyun ruffled the fur of its head. He was tired too, the wolf obviously had overpowered him in strength and stamina the whole time they had been playing. He laid down carefully, resting his head on the wolf’s abdomen and gazing at the stars above them. His mind was totally blank, only focused on the animal’s chest rising up and down. Johnny was right, the stars were boring. 

He turned to his side, facing the wolf. Its eyes were closed, and Jaehyun wondered if it was asleep. Its leg was as thick as Jaehyun’s arm, sharp claws at the end, and after much staring at it, Jaehyun remembered something. His motions were careful, not wanting to wake the wolf in a scare and get his hand ripped off, he trailed down the legs with his fingers, caressing the fur. The wolf did not whine, but it huffed again. It was impossible to see anything clearly, but Jaehyun could palpate a scar there. There was no blood, it wasn’t recent, but it was deeply engraved on its flesh. His hand stayed in place, thumb rubbing the wolf’s skin until he slowly drifted off to sleep, lulled by the animal’s paced breathing and the silence of the night. 

The same dream again, hugging himself in sobs and weeps, suddenly lost in black fur, and his mother screaming for him. Except, when he woke up, it wasn’t his mother.

“Jaehyun!” Johnny exclaimed, shaking him up. Jaehyun opened his eyes with a gasp, grabbing Johnny’s shirt startled and confused. Johnny laughed softly at him, and Jaehyun took his time to look around. They were alone on the clearing, no wolf in sight. The forest was starting to wake up, the sky lit up by the rising sun, and Jaehyun needed to take a moment to remember everything about last night. Maybe it had been just a part of his dream and Johnny took him back to reality. “Are you okay?”

“The… the wolf…” He tried to signal around him, not able to find the appropriate words to explain himself. Johnny shushed him with a smile and a nod. 

“It’s okay, it’s gone now,” Johnny got up and extended his hand to help him. “You should go back home before your mother wakes up, come on.” Jaehyun accepted his hand, but didn’t let go of it. He let Johnny drag him through the trees, watching him walk. Jaehyun’s mind wandered to places it shouldn’t go. It must have been because he had just woken up, he tried to convince himself, and he wasn’t in his right mind at the moment, but he looked down, at the hand so tightly clasped around his, and he spotted the mark on Johnny’s wrist. Johnny looked so big in front of him, and his honey eyes were so warm every time he turned around to check up on him, but it couldn’t be, there was no way, it did not make any sense. Johnny was Johnny, the man he liked oh so much, not something else. 

“Will you be here tonight?” Jaehyun asked once they reached his house. He looked up hopefully, and Johnny ruffled his hair with a laugh.

“I’ll try.” 

* * *

Jaehyun’s face lit up in a smile when, from the window of his room, he saw Johnny waiting for him. His mother had long gone to sleep, and he had feared the older wouldn’t appear, but he finally did. Jaehyun ran up to him, but his stop was short, Johnny grabbed his hand and tugged him into the forest. It felt nice going back to the routine, fresh air caressing his face as he followed Johnny’s footsteps ahead of him. When they finally found a place to stay, Jaehyun stretched his arms up and groaned in joy, freedom running through his veins. Johnny was the first one to sit down, looking up expectantly for Jaehyun to do the same. 

“Can I ask you something?” Jaehyun plopped down next to him, unconsciously resting his hands on Johnny’s thighs. He just wanted to be close to him. 

“Of course,” Johnny smiled, pinching his cheek and easily erasing Jaehyun’s imploring look. 

“How exactly did you get that scar?”

Johnny looked surprised for a moment, eyes widening slightly but then traveling down, where Jaehyun’s fingers were hovering his wrist. “I…” he started, and Jaehyun felt an eternity pass before he got to hear the rest of the sentence. “I got shot.” 

“By accident?” He sounded more clueless than he would have liked to. A hundred scenarios raced through his mind, he tried to make something up with the look in Johnny’s eyes, but nothing came even close to the truth.

“No, I was… I was trying to protect her, but it didn’t end well,” Jaehyun’s shoulders dropped. Johnny looked so sad, Jaehyun could see him remembering something, and guilt started spreading through his body. He made Johnny remember something awful, it wasn’t his intention, but it was his fault. “She ended up being the one who protected me, when he came for us,” Johnny mumbled, having intertwined their fingers together and was now playing with Jaehyun’s absentmindedly, smiling melancholically. Jaehyun wanted to shut up. If he had been brave enough, he would have leaned in and hugged Johnny, but he was a coward, and he couldn’t stop himself.

“Are you really the… wolf?” He said the word carefully, like every time he mentioned it in front of his mother, though Johnny did not scream or got angry at him, he just chuckled softly, placing a hand on Jaehyun’s cheek. Jaehyun tensed up, and did not move an inch when Johnny started leaning towards him.

“You’re so curious today, I thought you’d never ask,” Johnny mumbled against his lips. He kissed the corner of Jaehyun’s lips carefully, perhaps he was trying his luck, and before Jaehyun could form a coherent thought, Johnny locked their lips together. Jaehyun brought his hands to Johnny’s neck and Johnny pushed his body down. Their mouths moved slowly against each other, it was sweet and tender, Johnny sucking and nibbling his bottom lip like they had an eternity to do that, while Jaehyun’s fingers roamed through his hair. Johnny’s lips tasted like honey. Jaehyun felt his chest about to burst, every single hair of his body standing on end with Johnny’s touch, and all his senses agaze. He had never been kissed like that, so delicately, so lovingly, and he wanted more. For a second, Johnny pulled away for air, just barely removing his lips from the top of Jaehyun’s. There was an unnatural yellow gleam in Johnny’s eyes, the word  _ hunger  _ flashing through Jaehyun’s mind, and this time it was him who kissed. Lost in the other’s lips, teeth, and tongue, Jaehyun felt a hand sneak under his clothes and a shiver ran down his spine. He sighed against Johnny, chests pressed together and legs tangled. The older started kissing his face, his jaw, and his neck up and down, seconds passing between every movement like he was tasting Jaehyun thoughtfully. Jaehyun felt the air from his lungs cut out, a jolt of electricity through all his body when Johnny slid a hand inside his pants. He arched his back and closed his eyes when he felt Johnny’s teeth against his skin, biting and sucking restlessly every spot they found. 

“Johnny,” Jaehyun called with a gasp for air. “Are you going to eat me?” 

“Would you let me?” Johnny moved his attention back to Jaehyun’s lips. Jaehyun placed his hands on both sides of Johnny’s face, looking at him in a silent plea before they sunk back into a kiss. If Jaehyun opened his eyes, he could see the stars. If he closed them, he saw them too. Johnny untied Jaehyun’s red cape easily. Even if it was shabby and torn, they had always used it to lie on, grass becoming too itchy for them to bear. Now wouldn’t be an exception. Jaehyun barely noticed being spread on it, Johnny not leaving his mouth unattended and his own hands too busy trying to unbutton the older’s shirt. 

They hardly said any word, Jaehyun would recognize the warmth of Johnny’s body everywhere, even in dreams, though he would have never guessed his bites would feel so good. Only them existed that night, in the forest. Bodies pressed against each other, breaths and voices mixing up, Jaehyun’s heart swelled in emotions he felt for the first time. Being devoured by Johnny’s eyes, mouth, touches, every centimeter of him being sensitive and craving for more, it was all Jaehyun had been waiting for, and none of his fantasies had ever come slightly close to what Johnny was making him feel. Johnny spread his legs and sat up to be able to reach every part of Jaehyun with his mouth, though every trail of bites and kisses always ended on his chest, on his heart, where Johnny nuzzled his nose and inhaled deeply. 

Jaehyun had never had sex before, he followed what Johnny did and for the first time in his life, he wasn’t afraid to ask and pursue. Johnny complied with his every request, he knew exactly what Jaehyun wanted even when he didn’t voice it out loud. His every movement was precise, enough to cater Jaehyun and leave him wanting more, more, and more.

All of Jaehyun’s curiosity had brought him to this exact moment, to the wolf’s arms, and he would take the same path every time. It didn’t matter that it was too hot, that they were on the ground or that his moans were too loud, Jaehyun knew, he knew since the first time he felt Johnny’s warmth through his staring golden eyes, he would give all of himself to him, he would do anything to be with him, to return the care he had received. Even if it hurt, the initial sting was delightful when Johnny kissed him that way, exploring every part of his mouth with his tongue and hands roaming through his body, never leaving him unattended. He got lost in Johnny’s hip rocking, eyes teary but smile permanent on his face, a constant moan in his throat. The first time Johnny had embraced him, Jaehyun was scared and alone, thrown out by his mother. Now, he was safe and sound, and they were together. 

He devoted himself to Johnny with every stroke, every caress, and every kiss, he gave him everything and accepted the same back, he pledged love looking at the moon, in a whisper that only Johnny would hear. His growls were a realization for Jaehyun, but they only sent him to a deeper ecstasy, and clawing at Johnny’s back in pleasure, he almost felt like he was the animal there. One moment he was overflowing with emotions, pleasure filling every inch of his body, and the next he felt like floating in the clouds that started to cover the moon again. He saw some fireflies around them, or maybe it was just the remaining sparks of their love-making. He fell asleep in Johnny’s arms, this time smiling, pleased, besotted,  _ happy _ . 

Jaehyun returned Johnny’s lazy, damp kisses while dozing off. Arms and legs tangled together, he felt Johnny’s fingers trace patterns on his back. He smiled to himself, burying his face deeper into Johnny’s shoulder and sighing contently. They barely slept for an hour, but Jaehyun didn’t mind the exhaustion, the sweat sticking to his skin or the grass tickling his feet, he sighed again, mind totally blank. Seconds after, his lower lip raised in a pout when he felt Johnny sit up, but the feeling of the other’s fingers brushing through his hair took out all his energy to open his eyes. 

“I think I would have gone crazy if you hadn’t walked into the forest by yourself that day,” Johnny commented. Jaehyun smiled to himself, he would probably have, too. Johnny was resting on his elbow, and it didn’t take Jaehyun much to find his free hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed his wrist, eyes still closed peacefully. 

“Were you alone all this time?” He spoke into Johnny’s skin. 

“I wasn’t, I was waiting for you,” Johnny mumbled, leaning down to place a kiss on Jaehyun’s forehead. “And your grandfather helped me a lot, too.”

“Was it really you? Were you really there all this time?” Jaehyun asked in wonder, still not quite registering it. Johnny laughed softly against his hair, he cuddled against Jaehyun again and hummed in agreement. All the memories of howls, long stares and rushed, tense approaches still burned behind Jaehyun’s eyelids. “I thought the wolf just really wanted to eat me...” 

“Well, I must say you’re delicious,” Johnny said, lips pressing against Jaehyun’s crown. Jaehyun could feel him smirking, and was unable to resist an embarrassed whine. Not that he wouldn’t let himself be devoured anytime now, but his heart sped up just at the memories. “Come on, we should head back before sunrise.” Johnny patted his butt and moved away, earning a groan from Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun wasn’t able to do much after putting his clothes back on and picking up the cape, as Johnny brought him into a hug and kissed him fully, this time lively and playful, spreading pecks through all his face. When they moved apart, his cheeks heated up at noticing the adoring look in Johnny’s eyes. Perhaps he had the same, because the wolf laughed. With an arm around Jaehyun’s waist, Johnny barely let him detach their bodies on the way back. Not that Jaehyun would have wanted to, when every now and then Johnny leaned in to kiss his neck or cheek so deliciously. Jaehyun lost count of the times they stopped in their tracks to enjoy themselves in pecks and chuckles, and by the time they reached the forest end, the sun already rising and Jaehyun’s house in sight, Johnny placed both hands on Jaehyun’s hips. 

“See you tonight?” Johnny asked, placing his forehead against the other’s. Jaehyun closed his eyes in a last attempt to fill himself with Johnny’s presence and nodded. He was about to move away, but Johnny grabbed him by the wrist before he could step past the last tree of the forest, making him turn to his side. “Wait,” with a hand holding Jaehyun’s face and the other sneaking around his waist again, Johnny kissed him deep and long. Jaehyun sighed against him, hugging him back and losing himself into the touch. From the corner of his eye, he observed his house. 

He saw it through the window, the large mounted wolf head hanging haughty on top of the fireplace. A death trophy, the prize of his father’s last hunt. The wolf who had protected Johnny, giving up her life but also taking the hunter’s. He had gazed at it countless times as a kid, his mother used it to remind him about what was out there and what could happen to him, but just now he realized how sad her dead eyes looked. His mother, already awake, got up from the armchair, back facing him as she stared at the beast one last time before heading out of the living room, probably to prepare breakfast for his son who was supposed to be sleeping upstairs. Jaehyun couldn’t help but wonder if the big bad wolf had ever been in the forest, to begin with. 


End file.
